It is well known that various aspects of the operation of a road vehicle can be improved if the future operation of the vehicle is known. For example, in the case of a hybrid vehicle the efficient use and charging of an electric power supply can be improved if the future operation of the vehicle is known. In the case of a vehicle having a combustion engine, the regeneration or desulphurization of aftertreatment devices or the addition of reductants to an exhaust gas flow can be more efficiently carried out when the vehicle is being operated in a particular manner and by using knowledge of the future operation of the vehicle these activities can be scheduled to occur at an optimum period in time or when the engine of the vehicle is expected to be operating in a particular manner.
It has been proposed in, for example U.S. Pat. No. 7,685,813 to predict the future usage of a vehicle by using a navigation system. The navigation system such as a GPS system is used to predict the future route from which the expected usage of the vehicle while it is traversing that route can be derived.
There are a number of disadvantages associated with the use of a navigation system to predict the future usage or operation of a vehicle. Firstly, not all vehicles are fitted with such navigation equipment and so such a method could not be applied to such a vehicle. Secondly, if terrain mapping is required to predict the future operation of the vehicle then this is not currently available in all countries. Thirdly, if an entire route is to be predicted rather than the next few minutes of operation, then the final destination of the vehicle must be known if a navigation system is to be used. However, if the route to be followed is one that is well known to the driver, the driver will often not enter the destination in the navigation system and would consider it to be an unnecessary inconvenience if required to do so for every trip undertaken. If the final destination is not known by a navigation system, the system cannot predict the future operation of the vehicle for the entire trip only for a small part of the trip in the vicinity of where it is currently located.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method of predicting the future operation of a vehicle for the current drive cycle that does not require user intervention and is cost effective to implement.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of predicting the future operation of a vehicle with an electronic processing system for storing non-transitory instructions, wherein the method comprises automatically carrying out the steps of: identifying a user of the vehicle; monitoring the operation of the vehicle for each trip conducted by the user; storing data collected from the monitoring for that user; establishing common patterns of operation from the stored data for that user; comparing a current pattern of operation with the stored common patterns of operation for that user, using, if the current pattern of operation conforms to a particular one of the stored common patterns of operation for that user, the particular one of the stored common patterns of operation for that user for predicting the future operation of the vehicle during the current trip; and using the predicted future operation of the vehicle during the current trip to improve at least one of charging of a battery of the vehicle, the supply of reductant to an exhaust aftertreatment device of the vehicle and the control of an engine of the vehicle for the purpose of regenerating an exhaust aftertreatment device of the vehicle.
Monitoring the operation of the vehicle for each trip conducted by the user may comprise monitoring a number of characteristic parameters against one of time and distance travelled for the duration of the trip.
The characteristic parameters may be characteristic vehicle parameters.
Alternatively, the characteristic parameters may be characteristic user parameters.
The characteristic parameters may be a combination of characteristic vehicle parameters and characteristic user parameters.
The characteristic vehicle parameters may comprise engine speed, vehicle speed and engine torque.
The characteristic user parameters may be selected from accelerator pedal position, rate of change of accelerator pedal position, brake pedal position, gear selector position, steering wheel rotational position, rate of change of steering wheel rotational position and clutch pedal position.
Establishing common patterns of operation may comprise comparing at least two characteristic parameters of operation against previously saved patterns of operation for the same parameters to determine whether there is concurrence between the various patterns and, if there is concurrence between several stored patterns of operation, storing the characteristics of the pattern of operation as a common pattern of operation.
The identity of a user may be established using at least one of a code stored in a key-fob, an indication of the position of a seat for the driver of the vehicle, an indication of the radio station selected by the driver, the position of an exterior mirror and the weight of the driver.
Comparing a current pattern of operation with the stored common patterns of operation may comprise comparing at least two characteristic parameters of operation against the stored common patterns of operation for the same parameters and, if there is concurrence between the current pattern of operation and one of the stored common patterns of operation, using the respective common pattern of operation to predict the future operation of the vehicle for the current trip.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicle having an electronic processing system to provide a prediction of the future operation of the vehicle for a current trip wherein the electronic processing system is operable to automatically: identify a user of the vehicle; monitor the operation of the vehicle for each trip conducted by the user; store data collected from the monitoring for that user in a memory; establish common patterns of operation from the stored data for that user; compare a current pattern of operation with the stored common patterns of operation for that user; use the particular one of the stored common patterns of operation to predict the future operation of the vehicle during the current trip if the current pattern of operation conforms to a particular one of the stored common patterns of operation for that user, and use the predicted future operation of the vehicle during the current trip to improve at least one of charging of a battery of the vehicle, the supply of reductant to an exhaust aftertreatment device of the vehicle and the control of an engine of the vehicle for the purpose of regenerating an exhaust aftertreatment device of the vehicle.
The electronic processing system may be operable to establish the identity of a user using at least one of a code stored in a key-fob, an indication of the position of a seat for the driver of the vehicle, an indication of the radio station selected by the driver, the position of an exterior mirror and the weight of the driver.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.